California has taken a big step toward regulating AI. SB 243 — a bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users — passed both the State Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom has until October 12 to either veto the bill or sign it...
Perplexity, the AI-powered search startup that competes with Google by providing conversational answers to user queries, has secured $200 million in new capital at a $20 billion valuation, The Information reported. The fresh funding comes just two months after the company raised $100 million at an $18 billion valuation, according to a July report in Bloomberg. Since its founding three...
What a difference a changing regulatory environment makes. Roughly nine months after suggesting that a young copy trading platform could only operate because it flew “under the radar” of regulators, Robinhood has announced its own entry into the space with “Robinhood Social,” a new feature that will allow users to follow and manually replicate the trades of prominent investors. The...
The United States has long been one of the most popular destinations for international students pursuing graduate studies. But pauses to some of the country’s university PhD programmes and the imposition of visa restrictions for students from certain countries have prompted other nations to try to attract those students who have been affected by the changes or who no longer...
An Israeli-Russian researcher has been released after "being tortured for many months" by her Iraqi militia abductors, US President Donald Trump has announced.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kataib Hezbollah, and is now safely in the American...
Editor's Note: This article contains photos and descriptions of animal neglect. Viewer discretion is advised. COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WRIC) -- Two dogs soaked in urine and feces were found abandoned outside of a Colonial Heights shelter on Saturday, with animal control officials searching for the person responsible. On Saturday, Sept. 6, two dogs were left outside of the Colonial Heights...
(RNS) — The United States Department of War Rapid Response X account on Sunday (Sept. 7) posted a clip showing military personnel completing outdoor training as the words “Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go” faded into the screen. The video, which quotes the...
Organic molecules detected in the watery plumes that spew out from cracks in the surface of Enceladus could be formed through exposure to radiation on Saturn's icy moon, rather than originating from deep within its sub-surface ocean. The findings, presented during the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki this week, have repercussions for assessing the habitability of Enceladus's ocean. "While the...
Selecting the right spot to smash a spacecraft into the surface of a hazardous asteroid to deflect it must be done with great care, according to new research presented at the EPSC-DPS2025 Joint Meeting this week in Helsinki. Slamming into its surface indiscriminately runs the risk of knocking the asteroid through a 'gravitational keyhole' that sends it back around to...
The Madden NFL 26 Kickoff Challenge will feature the top eight players competing live in Orlando. The 11th season of the Madden Championship Series (MCS) begins with the debut of the Kickoff Challenge in Orlando on Wednesday. Among the 26 Kickoff Challenge competitors are defending champion Fancy, runner-up JonBeast, two-time champion Druni and Henry, the winningest competitor in Madden history....
